This invention relates to improvements in a shift lever apparatus for operating a transmission of an automotive vehicle so as to change the change-speed ranges for the vehicle.
A shift lever apparatus is provided at the floor of an automotive vehicle to change the change-speed ranges of a transmission connected to an engine. A conventional shift lever apparatus as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Provisional Publication No. 6-80051 is arranged as follows: The shift lever apparatus includes a shift lever which is disposed swingable in the fore-and-aft direction of a vehicle body on the floor of the vehicle. The shift lever is connected to the transmission and adapted to change the change-speed ranges of the transmission by changing the swinging angle thereof. The shift lever apparatus further includes a housing constituted of upper and lower housings. The upper housing is formed with a long opening which extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body. The shift lever passes through the long opening so as to move in the longitudinal direction of the long opening.
An indicator or letter panel indicating letters “L”, “2”, “3”, “D”, “N”, “R”, and “P” as the change-speed ranges are disposed aside the long opening. A slide cover is provided to be movable in relation to the shift lever and to cover the long opening. Additionally, a guide device is formed between the upper and lower housings to allow the slide cover to be slidably guided in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body. The slide cover is formed with a hole through which the shift lever passes so as to be movable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body together with the shift lever. The slide cover is provided with a mark piece on which a red seal is stuck. The mark piece can be visually recognized through one of indicator windows which are respectively located aside the above letters of the indicator panel, so that a driver can recognize the present change-speed range of the transmission.
The slide cover is slidable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body while covering or closing the above long opening of the upper housing. Therefore, the slide cover must cover the whole length of the long hole even when the shift lever is brought into the position of the P range located the fore-most and even when the shift lever is brought into the position of the L range located the rear-most. Consequently, the length of the slide cover is necessarily larger than the fore-and-aft direction length of the shift lever apparatus.
In such a shift lever apparatus, assuming that the whole body of the slide cover is horizontally guided, the fore-and-aft directional length of the shift lever apparatus is unavoidably increased. Accordingly, in case that a space is required to be formed rear of the shift lever apparatus, it is necessary to form a descending guide section for guiding the slide cover downward along a small radius of curvature, in the above-mentioned guide device.
However, the mark piece is formed integral with the slide cover. Therefore, if the descending guide section for the space-saving purpose is formed in the guide device, the mark piece follows the deformation of the slide cover in the descending guide section. As a result, the mark piece unavoidably moves downward separating from the indicator panel which is horizontally disposed, thereby being degraded in visibility.